Assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana and President Cyprien Ntaryamira

On the evening of April 6, 1994, Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira were killed when their plane was shot down while approaching Kigali International Airport. The aircraft, a Rwandan government Dassault Falcon 50 jet, was hit by surface-to-air missiles as it prepared to land, crashing into the grounds of Habyarimana’s residence. Everyone on board, including both presidents, their senior advisors, and the French flight crew, died in the attack. The downing of the plane served as the immediate trigger for the Rwandan Genocide, which began within hours of the assassination. Extremist Hutu militia groups, known as the Interahamwe, and elements of the Rwandan government quickly mobilized to carry out a coordinated campaign of mass killings, targeting Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Habyarimana, a Hutu leader, had ruled Rwanda since 1973. He had signed the Arusha Accords in 1993, a peace agreement with the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), aimed at ending the Rwandan Civil War. Hutu extremists, however, viewed the agreement as a threat to their power, and resented Habyarimana’s cooperation with the RPF. The identity of those responsible for shooting down the plane remains disputed. Some theories blame Hutu extremists from Habyarimana’s own inner circle, who opposed the peace process and wanted to spark violence against Tutsis. Others accuse the RPF, though independent investigations have not conclusively proven either claim. The assassination of Habyarimana and Ntaryamira is considered one of the most significant moments in Rwandan history, as it unleashed the genocide, during which approximately 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in just 100 days. This tragic event marked the final collapse of any hopes for peace and plunged Rwanda into one of the most horrific genocides of the 20th century. #RwandaHistory #RwandanGenocide #JuvénalHabyarimana #CyprienNtaryamira #RPF #HutuExtremists #TutsiGenocide #ArushaAccords #EastAfrica #MomentsOfLife #MoofLife_Moment #MoofLife